Individually formed footwear and a related method

ABSTRACT

Individually formed footwear such as shoes and insoles for correcting the feet position and alleviate related problems. The shoe or insole comprises at least one layer made of thermoplastic material, which material is advantageously chosen from a group of ABS, PVC, A-PET and PETG. A method for providing such footwear to a client at a retail store is likewise presented.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The current invention generally relates to footwear. In particular theinvention concerns personalized shoes, insoles and a method forobtaining those.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Approximately 70% of the world population suffer from some sort of footproblems. Only few of the total number have had a chance to purchaseinsoles that alleviate at least part of the problems. Traditionally,custom-made shoes and insoles have been manufactured by professionalshoemakers, physiotherapists, or podiatrists. So far the associatedpurchase process has been rather time-consuming and costly; a personwilling to spend 120-250 EUR on custom made insoles or more than 300 EURin bespoke shoes has to visit one of aforesaid professionals or theirremote partner to get their feet characteristics measured including e.g.a foot size and other properties, advantageously also problem-causingfeatures, after which the order is placed in a waiting list forinitiating the actual manufacturing process by the professional. Oftenthe delay between placing the order and receiving the customizedshoes/insoles thus extends to few days or even few weeks, which makesthe overall process rather awkward especially from a standpoint of acasual client.

Foot motion/gait problems reflect to soles, ankles, knees, hips, back,etc; that is why their treatment and prevention is particularlybeneficial to the whole human well-being. An individual takes around 15000-16 000 steps every day. The load on feet in sports is many times theweight of the body. For example, the ground force is about three timesone's body weight while running and 7.5 times while playing basketballdue to jumps and other irregular moves. Provided that the foot positionis correct, the load divides evenly between the upper joints.

A common condition called pronation refers to inward (i.e. medial) rollof the foot (especially heel and arch), which turns into overpronationwhen the foot rolls too much. In contrast, oversupination is caused bytoo small inward roll. Both conditions easily cause pain, wear and evenstress injuries in the feet and various body joints.

Different (arch) support insoles are available for correcting the footposition. They have been designed to support longitudinal medial andlateral arch but without separately glued wedges they do not actuallycorrect foot position. Wedging is a time-consuming and expensiveprocess. The obtained result depends on the person doing the task andstill tends to be rather inaccurate. As another drawback, after gluingthe wedges to the soles one cannot take a new mold without firstremoving the wedges.

Ready-made supports in the insoles do not provide a perfect match toanyone's feet, as people do not generally bear identical feet shape.Accordingly, many support insoles are ultimately deemed inconvenient dueto their lousy fit.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

In order to alleviate aforesaid problems the current invention provides,as its one aspect, an insole for a shoe, which insole comprises at leastone layer made of thermoplastic material, which material is chosen froma group consisting of: ABS, PVC, A-PET, and PETG so that the selectedmaterial becomes plastic substantially under 95° C. and above 45° C.,i.e. somewhere within the range.

In another aspect a shoe comprises a sole having at least two layers oneof which being made of thermoplastic material.

An insole or a shoe that is to be subjected to a shaping (or actuallyreshaping as it inherently has some kind of basic form aftermanufacturing) procedure of the invention for correcting the footposition is hereinafter called a preform.

In a further aspect a method of producing an individually formed insoleincludes:

choosing one or more, e.g. a pair of, insole preforms from a selectionof preforms having a thermoplastic layer,

heating the chosen preform above the glass transition temperature (Tg)temperature of the thermoplastic layer in case the preform lackspreheating,

guiding a client to step on the heated preform,

adjusting the angle of the ankle to the right position with help andguidance of an orthopedic or other trained person,

adjusting the client's foot so that the plantar arch settles to a normalhigh position, and

waiting for the temperature of the heated insole preform to drop underthe glass transition temperature of the thermoplastic.

Yet in a further aspect a method of producing an individually formedshoe includes the following steps:

choosing one or more, e.g. a pair of, shoe preforms from a selection ofshoe preforms,

heating the chosen shoe preform above the glass transition temperatureof the thermoplastic layer of the shoe preform in case the preform lackspreheating,

guiding the client to step into the heated shoe preform,

adjusting the client's foot so that the plantar arch settles to a normalhigh position,

adjusting the angle of the ankle to the right position with help andguidance of an orthopedic or other trained person,

taking the shoe preform off from the foot, and

waiting for the temperature of the shoe preform to drop under the glasstransition temperature of the thermoplastic.

Still in a further aspect a method for providing individually formedfootwear to a client comprises:

arranging a sales spot including a plurality of alternative articlesselected from the group consisting of: an insole, a liner for a shoe,and a shoe; said sales spot further including means for customising anarticle belonging to said plurality of articles to the client's foot,

studying a foot of the client so as to enable choosing an articlebelonging to said plurality of articles,

treating, preferably heating by said means for customizing, at leastpart of the chosen article to render its form responsive to an externalforce introduced thereon,

placing the client's foot in contact with the treated article inaccordance with the predetermined use thereof, and

manually shaping the treated article so as to correct the foot positionby conforming thereto.

The utility of the invention arises from a number of issues. First, theindividually formed shoe or insole provides natural arch support anddivides the ground force more evenly through the foot, knee, hip, andthe back. Secondly, it reduces ovepronation or oversupination andrealigns the gait. This affects positively to the body posture andalleviates fatigue, sprained ankles, rubbing and pain. The inventionfurther stabilizes the foot, adds lateral support of the foot andstrengthens it to reduce loss in muscle power. Yet, the transverse archis supported when the thermoplastic layer extends under it.

Further, when considering the issue from a retail perspective, theshoes/insoles can be offered through common retail stores, e.g. sport orshoe stores, and the required customisation process by a trained salesclerk takes only minutes. The sales spot consumes only a minor space(few square meters) and compulsory investments in equipment can be keptlow. Provision of customized insoles cultivates the pro image emanatingfrom the retailer and offers a promotional value in relation to otherproducts as well; it attracts people to visit the store and raises thesales figures of related products (shoes/insoles, socks, etc)respectively. The profit margin can be kept high while the retail priceis still considerably lower than with its prior art antecessors.

In an embodiment of the invention an insole or a shoe has athermoplastic layer that extends substantially over the major area ofthe insole, optionally still leaving at least the border areas intactfor facilitating easy adjustment and cutting thereof.

In another embodiment of the invention an insole or a shoe has athermoplastic layer that covers laterally only part of the insole/shoe.Advantageously the thermoplastic still reaches out lengthwise at leastfrom under the heel to under the plantar arch and in lateral directionalmost to the whole width of the insole.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

In the following, the invention is described in more detail by referenceto the attached drawings, wherein

FIG. 1 is a sketch of two insole embodiments according to the invention.

FIG. 2 is a flow diagram representing one example of a method of theinvention wherein individually formed footwear is provided to a client.

FIG. 3 is a more specific flow diagram about relevant analysis steps fordetermining the client's needs.

FIG. 4 depicts a podoscope including a transparent glass plate on whichthe client is standing during the feet analysis.

FIG. 5 further visualizes selected method steps of FIG. 2.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE EXEMPLARY EMBODIMENTS

A preform (˜blanket) insole has at least one layer, which is made ofthermoplastic and reaches out at least from under the heel to under theplantar arch of the target person's, hereinafter client, foot.Advantageously two or three material layers that are connected togetherare used in the perform insole for the comfort of the client. The upperlayer (if used) of the preform insole is placed against the foot and thelower layer is placed against the shoe. Materials of these two layerscan be selected among any prior art materials used in insoles. Forexample, the lower layer may be constructed from a known material suchas Rheluflex (trademark of Rhenoflex GmbH Ltd) comprising non-wovenpolyester as a carrier, ionomerresin-ethylvinylacetate blend as anextruded core, and EVA-Hotmelt as an adhesive.

The middle layer of the insole (in case of three layers) is made ofthermoplastic. The used thermoplastic can be selected from a large groupof known thermoplastics. The critical value is the temperature,so-called glass transition temperature, where the thermoplastic becomesplastic and on the other hand turns back to solid form when thetemperature is decreasing after shaping the insole. This temperatureshould not generally be so high that the insole feels uncomfortableagainst the client's foot. Notwithstanding a high glass transitiontemperature, a thermoplastic is still applicable if it can be cooleddown enough prior to placing in contact with the foot provided that thethermoplastic remains plastic, i.e. mouldable. Adequate temperature forthe thermoplastic to become plastic is preferably somewhere under 95° C.and above 45° C. Advantageously the range is from 50° C. to 85° C.Suitable materials that become or are plastic within the preferredranges are for example thermoplastic polyesters A-PET (Amorphouspolyester terephthalate) and PETG (glycol-modified polyethyleneterephthalate, which is a copolyester), or such with essentially similarcharacteristics. Also e.g. ABS (acrylonitrile butadiene styrene), PVC(polyvinyl chloride) can be used.

Thickness of the thermoplastic layer shall be preferably selected so asto provide reasonable support to the client's foot when the layer is ina rigid state. The thickness may also vary throughout the layer, if e.g.more flexibility is desired under the toe area (thinner) than theplantar arch area (thicker).

Other characteristic required for the thermoplastic dictates that itshould be rigid under the melting temperature.

With reference to an embodiment shown in the upper sketch 102 of FIG. 1,the middle layer 104 (or the only layer) made of thermoplastic can coverlaterally the whole area of the insole. In alternative embodiment, seesketch 110, the layer 112 covers laterally only a part of the insole. Inthat option it is necessary that the thermoplastic reaches outlengthwise at least under the heel to under the plantar arch and inlateral direction advantageously almost to the whole width of theinsole. As one feasible implementation, the thermoplastic layer isdesigned so as to reach out from under the heel to themetatarsophalangeal joint of the foot so that transverse arch can besupported. Also, a precut pad can be placed under the transverse archwhen the insole is shaped to lift the transverse arch into the optimumposition. However, it is advantageous to keep some range at the edge ofthe insole without the hard thermoplastic in case there is need forlittle adjustment when the insole is placed in the shoe. Also, the toearea of the insole should remain without the hard thermoplastic toenable natural movement of the foot during walking or running.

One major aspect of the invention relates to producing a preform of aninsole that is ready in one piece (thus possibly having separate layersthat are connected together with adhesive or such) and easy to heat overthe glass transition temperature of the included thermoplastic. Aftercooling the insole is preferably rigid one-piece structure that correctsthe foot position and supports the foot, especially the plantar arch andtransverse arch thereof. The plantar arch can be adjusted to a properhigh position by pulling the client's toe up and/or by lifting his/herheel up while keeping the toes against a support surface (Windlasseffect). The adjustments can be carried out on a soft pad with orwithout further manual guiding. Alternatively, a trained person mayreach a decent result just by hands without a supporting surface.

Alternatively, in accordance with the current invention a shoe can beprovided, said shoe having a sole, which can be shaped according toclient's foot for correcting the incorrect position thereof. The shoe inthis case shall have at least one material layer of thermoplastic. Theshoe is advantageously manufactured to include all necessary layers andis just personalized upon purchase. Suitable shoes include, for example,various types of walking shoes, sport shoes, boots, sandals and soft gymshoes.

The sole is advantageously at least a two-piece structure including athermoplastic layer either situated on top of the sole material or beingintegrated, for example embedded, within it. The one or more sole layersexcluding the thermoplastic layer may comprise e.g. EVA(ethylvinylacetate) or other prior art materials; e.g. aforesaid EVA iseven available in different hardnesses. If there is more than one layerthe thermoplastic layer can be smaller in lateral direction than thewhole sole. It is essential that the thermoplastic layer reaches out atleast from under the heel to under the plantar arch of the foot the sameway as with the insole. The thermoplastic materials can be selected thesame way as with the insole. It may be advantageous to make at least theouter surface of the sole of some wear resistant and good frictioncharacteristics-having material. Optionally, e.g. viscoelastic foam orother material, which may also be thermosensitive, can be used withinthe shoe, whereby the shoe internals also reshape in addition to mereinsole and provide additional comfort/support. With this embodiment canbe assured very comfortable personalised shoe that supports tightly thebone structure of the feet and ankle. This is very important if theclient has a for example diabetes or rheumatism and the shoe shouldn'tcause any friction or abnormal pressure to the foot.

In a further alternative, footwear such as shoes (walking, sports,discipline-specific, etc), skates, ski boots, etc can be offered withpreinstalled insoles in accordance with the invention, which insolesshall be then personalized before use. The layers inside the shoe thatreceive the insole of the invention shall advantageously conform to theinsole shapes. Optionally, e.g. viscoelastic foam or other material thatis optionally thermosensitive can be used within the shoe, whereby theshoe internals also reshape in addition to mere insole.

FIG. 2 discloses a flow diagram, by way of example only, of the methodfor providing individually formed insoles to a client by a retailer. Theinsoles may be provided as such or with shoes that may even include theinsoles of the invention by default. Likewise, shoes including amouldable sole of the invention can be offered via the method presentedhereinafter. Some of the method steps and associated devices are furthervisualized in FIGS. 3-5 for clarification.

The inventive concept makes it possible to finalize customised insolesonly a few minutes after receiving the assignment. The insoles of theinvention can be provided to the retailers as a part of a completeservice package including a sales spot, equipment for feet study, andequipment for making customized insoles. The service package may alsoinclude training the sales personnel via an educational program that maybe an (intensive) course or lection-based.

In step 202, a method start-up, a sales spot is prepared 218 for use atretailer premises. The sales spot may be advantageously delivered as apredetermined ensemble comprising a number of separate elements having arecommended location within the spot so that the spot aggregate can bejust conveniently positioned in a preferred location, or alternatively,the retailer may at least partially build it up according to hispersonal preferences from separate elements if seen useful. The spotincludes the necessary means to rapidly provide a customer with properlyshaped insoles. Such means may include a stand or a rack with a numberof insole preforms (preferably packaged in lightweight, space-saving andat least partially transparent cases, made of e.g. cardboard) withvarying properties (size, thickness, basic design, etc), a molding standwith one or more casting pads, a heating system, see numeral 504 of FIG.5, such as an oven for heating the insole preforms, and basicallyoptional study means for analysing the client's feet andproblems/properties thereof in addition to the mere ocular inspectionthat is anyhow to be performed by the trained staff.

The study means may include, for example, a podoscope, a camera system,and a computer. The podoscope is, by definition, a device for analysingthe interaction of the foot and a supporting surface. A client stands ona transparent glass plate of the podoscope, see reference numeral 404 ofsketch 402 in FIG. 4, whereupon an image of his feet is shown through amirror to the person doing the measurements, see lower sketch 410. Thestudy means, e.g. aforesaid podoscope, can also include data acquisitionmeans such as an optical scanner, a camera, or some other suitableapparatus for optically and/or electrically imaging the client's feetand their position (errors), see numeral 406. Such imaging technologyenables storing client-dependent data at the retailer for future use andarchiving purposes.

The imaging technology may be hooked up to a printer and/or a computer,see numeral 502 of FIG. 5, which is configured to visualize differentviews, e.g. foot images with optional zooming, silhouettes, etc, on adisplay based on the gathered data. The trained sales clerk may thenpoint out to the client, via the visualized image, the problems found inhis feet position and explain how the situation can actually be improvedby the custom-made insoles in accordance with the invention. Thecomputer may also be configured to store the data, preferablyclient-specifically. Respectively, printed images can be stored.Further, either the computer may include a data transfer interface ofits own, e.g. a network interface, or a separate data transfer interfacemay be coupled thereto or directly to the data acquisition means totransfer the acquired data to external destinations such as the retailerchain's central server or third parties' databases, if allowed by theclient.

Yet, the start-up phase includes educating 220 the sales clerks andother personnel about the sales and customisation processes of theinsoles of the invention. Preferably, professionals authorized by theinsole manufacture shall take care of the training. It is beneficial tothe result that the personnel know how to utilize the different insoledesigns, the oven, the study means, and the molding stand. Certainly, aresponsibility for different devices can also be divided between severalpersons, i.e. one person may take care of the feet analysis whereas theother actually molds the insole to a proper form. Only qualifiedin-store professionals may be entitled to wear a brand label associatedwith the insoles. The educational program may include regular follow-upsthat can be correspondingly made mandatory for continued qualificationand right to wear the brand label.

Reverting to the execution-time flow of the invention, step 204 refersto a client-specific analysis phase during which a trained sales clerkinitially studies the client's needs either by manual/ocularinvestigation of the feet or by listening to the client, preferably bydoing both.

The analysis step 204 has been further illustrated in FIG. 3 to setforth different aspects included therein; first of all, a proper basicdesign or “style” of the insole may be determined 304, via usageanalysis 302, from multiple options such as men's/women's, sport(general and optionally discipline-resolution such as tennis, running,soccer, football, basketball, hockey, skating, skiing, trekking, etc),health, military, medical and basic design, the design then affectinge.g. shape, material, thickness, elasticity, etc of the preform. Theinformation for the analysis and decision-making (e.g. desireduse/purpose of the insoles 302) may be gathered directly from the clientby inquiring and monitoring his or her needs. The client may havebrought along a pair of shoes to be used with the insoles, for example,which facilitates selecting a proper preform design and size.

In addition to mere basic design selection that heavily depends on thedesired use, more refined data about the client's feet and theirposition (overpronation, oversupination, etc) may be collected 306 andreviewed via e.g. visual inspection and the study means such as thepodoscope explained hereinbefore. A foot size is naturally a typicalparameter/criterion required for determining a proper insole preform308, although an oversized preform may in some applications be decentlycut to a smaller size. The client may directly tell the size to theclerk, but the size may also be verified on the spot by utilizingavailable measurement equipment. Moreover, special conditions 310 suchas hallux valgus, pes planus, pes cavus, rheumatism, diabetes, orpregnancy may imply a need for special preforms that are advantageouslyin the retailer stock as well. Rare situations may still occur wherein aresponsible sales clerk notices that the client's feet and/or indicateduse of the insoles require deeper investigation and a proper insolecannot be reliably addressed on the basis of the acquired information,or that the needed preforms are simply not available. The sales clerkmay then refer the client to a specialized clinic employing footspecialists, e.g. physiotherapists or podiatrists, with more profoundknowledge 312. Alternatively, the clerk may himself contact the clinicspecialists for consultation and optionally order special preforms tothe client, if possible. In the clinic more detailed examination shallbe conducted; for example, neuromuscular, circulation joints, and softtissues palpation and motion tests can be performed. The biomechanics ofthe lower extremities and the spine can be evaluated by videotaping theclient's standing position, walking and running. Radiographs, bonescans, CT, MR, or sonography may also be available. Thus, byco-operation between the clinic and retail stores providing the insolesthe client may receive fully guaranteed service, whereupon basic casescan be solved on the spot at retailer premises whereas morecomprehensive study shall be carried out at the clinic.

Instead of verbally communicating with the client from the scratch, e.g.a computer with tailored software may be provided to interview theclient about feet properties and intended use of the insoles, which thenat least semi-automatically forms a client profile based on apredetermined set of profiling rules. Alternatively, the client may havehis preferences already stored at the retailer due to an existingcustomer history, in which case the analysis step may be basicallyomitted provided his or her personal data and future use of the newinsoles will substantially remain unchanged.

Anyway, the software or the sales clerk optionally assisted by thesoftware may recommend a proper insole design to the client based on theavailable information, and a corresponding insole preform will be thenpicked up, preferably from the nearby rack where the preforms (orpackages, each comprising one or two preforms) reside on view asconveniently grouped based on the sizes/designs thereof. As human feetare practically never of equal size or shape, the preforms may have beenpacked separately instead of traditional pair-packs. Alternatively, ifthe client already knows his needs without motivation for re-analysingthe case, he may pick up proper preforms by himself after which heconsults the clerk for the rest of the customisation procedure.

In step 206 a proper pair of preforms has already been determined andthey are heated up to a temperature that enables reformation of at leastpredefined portions thereof as a response to a physical force introducedon them. The material selections for the preforms as explainedhereinbefore guarantee a softening temperature for the predeterminedportions that is still tolerable by the client, e.g. 85° C. Afterheating the perform to a reasonably high temperature as aforesaid 85°C., it is preferable to wait until the temperature drops to a moreconvenient reading like 70-75° C. from the standpoint of the client.Alternatively, the client may wear a sock or corresponding protection toinsulate the foot from extensive heat. The heating device isadvantageously selected and configured so that the heating up time ispreferably only a few minutes or less in order to provide the clientwith swift service.

In step 208 the heated preforms are preferably placed on a flexiblematerial like a casting pad (e.g. a pillow/cushion) of a molding stand,for example, and the client is instructed to introduce force via hissoles to the preform surfaces meanwhile the clerk guides the client'sfeet to a proper position and manually, shapes, by physical interaction,e.g. through fingertips, the insoles to conform to the feet and achievean improved mold according to the principles of the invention, see step210 in FIG. 2 and numeral 506 in FIG. 5. Shaping may refer tointroducing protrusions to a desired direction from the original insoleform/plane, for example. Furthermore, the client may stand on thepreforms to introduce the necessary pressure corresponding to the realweight bearing posture. Advantageously the molding stand includes alower portion to receive one or more casting pads and the client's feeton top of those, and an upper portion such as a crossbar from which theclient can seek support during the casting process.

In step 212 the clerk checks whether each insole conforms to therespective foot (sole) of the client and provides improved foot positionand body posture, refer to numerals 508 and 510 of FIG. 5. In case thereis still some tweaking to do, the method may be redirected to a properantecedent step such as step 206, 208, or 210. Otherwise, theindividually formed insoles are fit to the client's shoes, which mayrequire slight further adjustments like cutting the border areas, etc224.

The method execution is ended in step 216. It is waited until thetemperature of the insoles drops under the glass transition temperatureof the thermoplastic after which the insoles can be taken into use. Incase the retailer in question is willing to maintain a customer registeror forward such information to a centralized register possiblymaintained by the retail chain, the insole manufacturer or some otherthird party, the customer data may be stored 226 to facilitate futurebusiness with the same client. This preferably happens only afterreceiving an explicit acceptance for storing personal information by theclient. Step 226 may also include providing insole maintenanceinstructions to the client.

As an additional service, the clerks may be advised to channel theclient's interest into the insoles of the invention even in the case theclient is initially short of new shoes 222 only. This may happen eitherunconditionally or not until noticing a foot problem that the custominsole could alleviate.

The retail store may also offer a product guarantee that enables theclient to get the preforms reshaped again by the retailer without anyadditional cost or with just a basic service fee, if a need arises.

Although the above method was described from the standpoint of a pair ofinsoles that are individually shaped to the client, which still is thepreferred scenario, it is feasible for providing a single insole (or asingle shoe) alike.

In the current invention also a liner or other element/layer to beplaced in a shoe and possibly provided with a shoe or other footwear canbe considered as the insole of the invention provided that it featuressimilar effects and overall applicability.

Likewise, a shoe of the invention may be offered in the spirit of theabove method. Especially a shoe sole or a part thereof may beconstructed by following the ideas presented hereinbefore with referenceto an insole. E.g. the sole of a soft gym shoe, a ballet shoe, a sandalor other type of shoe with soft enough portions suitable for manualmolding after heating can be reformed accordingly.

It's clear to a skilled person that certain method steps can be alsoexecuted in reverse order, e.g. feet properties analysis 306 and anaggregate of usage analysis 302 and insole basic design selection 304;both aspects contribute to selecting a proper insole blanket 308.

Instead of heating, the preforms may be reshaped by utilizing some otherfeature than an embedded thermoplastic material. For example, certainresins can be hardened by utilizing predetermined chemical substances.However, in applying those it's important to select materials thatenable trouble-free but still real-time reshaping of the preform on theclient's foot, i.e. they must not introduce health hazards, e.g. burns,to the client upon or after the reshaping procedure.

In addition to humans, the invention may also be applied inmanufacturing customized footwear for animals.

1. An insole for a shoe or other footwear, which insole comprises atleast one layer made of thermoplastic material, which material is chosenfrom a group consisting of: ABS, PVC, A-PET and PETG, wherein saidmaterial becomes plastic substantially under 95° C. and above 45° C. 2.The insole of claim 1, wherein the thermoplastic layer coversessentially the whole insole.
 3. The insole of claim 1, wherein theinsole comprises also upper layer against the foot and/or lower layeragainst the shoe.
 4. The insole of claim 1, wherein the thermoplasticlayer reaches out at least from under the heel to under the plantar archof the foot.
 5. The insole of claim 1, wherein the thermoplastic layerreaches out from under the heel to the metatarsophalangeal joint of thefoot.
 6. The insole of claim 3, wherein said lower layer includes atleast one material selected from the group consisting of: non-wovenpolyester, and ionomerresin-ethylvinylacetate blend.
 7. Footwearcomprising the insole of claim
 1. 8. The footwear of claim 7, whereinsaid footwear is chosen from a group consisting of: a shoe, a skate, anda ski boot.
 9. The footwear of claim 7, further comprising athermosensitive internal layer.
 10. A shoe comprising a sole having atleast two layers one of which being made of thermoplastic material. 11.The shoe of claim 10, wherein the thermoplastic layer covers essentiallythe whole sole.
 12. The shoe of claim 10, wherein the sole comprisesalso upper layer against the foot and/or lower layer against the walkingsurface.
 13. The shoe of claim 10, wherein the thermoplastic layerreaches out at least from under the heel to under the plantar arch ofthe foot and the shoe comprises a lower layer against the walkingsurface.
 14. The shoe of claim 10, wherein the thermoplastic layerreaches out from under the heel to the metatarsophalangeal joint of thefoot.
 15. The shoe of claim 10, wherein the thermoplastic layer materialis chosen from a group consisting of: ABS, PVC, A-PET and PETG, whereinsaid material becomes plastic substantially under 95° C. and above 45°C.
 16. The shoe of claim 10, wherein the thermoplastic layer isintegrated in the sole material.
 17. The shoe of claim 10, furthercomprising an internal layer made of viscoelastic foam.
 18. A method ofproducing an individually formed insole that includes: choosing one ormore insole preforms from a selection of performs having a thermoplasticlayer, heating the chosen preform above the glass transition temperatureof the thermoplastic layer in case the preform lacks preheating, guidingthe client to step on the heated preform, adjusting the client's foot sothat the plantar arch settles to a normal high position, adjusting theangle of the ankle to the right position with help and guidance oforthopedic or other trained person, and waiting for the temperature ofthe heated insole preform to drop under the glass transition temperatureof the thermoplastic.
 19. The method of claim 18 further including oneor more of following steps: placing the insole preform on a soft pad,ensuring with hand that the insole preform is following tightly theplantar arch and the foot is in correct position; and/or finish theshape of the insole to fit the inside dimensions of the shoe.
 20. Themethod of claim 18, wherein the foot adjusting step comprises at leastone of the following: pulling the client's toe up so that the plantararch settles to a normal high position, and lifting the client's heel upwhile keeping the toes against a support surface.
 21. A method ofproducing an individually formed shoe that includes: choosing one ormore shoe preforms from a selection of shoe preforms, heating the chosenshoe preform above the glass transition temperature of the thermoplasticlayer of the shoe preform in case the preforms lack preheating, guidingthe client to step into the heated shoe preform, adjusting the client'sfoot so that the plantar arch settles to a normal high position,adjusting the angle of the ankle to the right position with help andguidance of orthopedic or other trained person, taking the shoe preformoff from the foot, and waiting for the temperature of the heated shoepreform to drop under the glass transition temperature of thethermoplastic.
 22. The method of claim 21 wherein the method alsoincludes one or more of following steps: placing the shoe preform on asoft pad, and ensuring with hand that the shoe preform is followingtightly the plantar arch and the foot is in correct position.
 23. Themethod of claim 21, wherein the foot adjusting step comprises at leastone of the following: pulling the client's toe up so that the plantararch settles to a normal high position, and lifting the client's heel upwhile keeping the toes against a support surface.
 24. A method forproviding individually formed footwear to a client, comprising:arranging a sales spot including a plurality of alternative articlesselected from the group consisting of: an insole, a liner for a shoe,and a shoe; said sales spot further including means for customising anarticle belonging to said plurality of articles to the client's foot(202, 218), studying the foot of the client so as to enable choosing anarticle belonging to said plurality of articles (204), treating,preferably heating by said means for customizing, at least part of thechosen article to render its form responsive to an external forceintroduced thereon (206), placing the client's foot in contact with thetreated article in accordance with the predetermined use thereof (208),and manually reshaping the treated article so as to correct the footposition by conforming thereto (210, 212).
 25. The method of claim 24,further comprising at least one of the following: reshaping the articleby cutting pieces out of it (224), storing client-specific article datato a local or remote data storage (226), educating a sales clerk toanalyse feet and respectively reshape the article (220), and referringthe client to a predetermined medical clinic due to an analysisresulting indicating no availability of an suitable article in saidplurality of articles (312).
 26. The method of claim 24, wherein saidsales spot further includes one or more study means for analysing theclient's foot, said study means selected from the group consisting of: apodoscope, a camera, a scanner, a printer, a display, and a computer.27. The method of claim 24, wherein said means for customizing includeat least one element selected from the group consisting of: a flexiblepad on which said chosen article is situated while in contact with theclient's foot, and a heating system such as an oven for heating saidchosen article.
 28. The method of claim 24, wherein said chosen articleis picked out from said plurality of articles by utilizing one or morecriteria selected from the group consisting of: a foot size, a footform, intended use of an article as indicated by the client, and aspecial condition of the foot as detected during analysis or asindicated by the client.
 29. The method of claim 28, wherein saidspecial condition includes at least one element selected from the groupconsisting of: hallux valgus, pes planus, pes cavus, rheumatism,diabetes, and pregnancy.
 30. The method of claim 24, wherein said chosenarticle includes a thermoplastic layer to render its form responsive tosaid external force when heated over a predetermined temperature.